Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet: Test drive report

We found a very interesting test drive report of the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet which is still very rare to be found. Enjoy!

In these turbo cabriolets, as in all its cars, Porsche has wrapped luxury-car aesthetics around a racing machine.

The interior initially feels more spare and sturdy than sumptuous. Yet a few minutes in the seat make clear that no detail of comfort and convenience has been omitted. Even the most banal accessory, cup holders — which old-timers disdain, yet sometimes secretly yearn for — are included, deftly concealed behind a slim dropdown panel in the dash.

Just cruising around town with the top closed, the car is restrained and mannerly, even with the six-speed manual transmission. (A five-speed Tiptronic S is available.) Accessibility of controls? Comfort and adjustability of seats and steering? Dizzying selection of goodies and doodads? Of course it’s all here.

With reassuring facts like these in mind, it’s hard to resist the temptation to really let the thing out. So what does it feel like when twin turbochargers and a 3.6-liter flat 6 slam 480 horses and 460 pound-feet of torque into an all-wheel drivetrain (standard on this cabrio, unlike its predecessors)?

Like the surge of a jetliner as it starts its takeoff roll, pushing passengers hard back into their seats — except much more so. Because in about 10 seconds, this car will be traveling more than 100 m.p.h., and that plane won’t have a chance of catching it before liftoff.